External water-purifying filter case, installation structure thereof and sterilizing method using the same

ABSTRACT

An installation structure of an external filter case for a refrigerator is provided. The filter case may include a main body that provides an inner space in which an internal line may be installed and water filters may be installed, and a cover that covers the inner space of the main body and is detachably coupled with the main body. The main body may have an open front side and may include bosses that protrude from its bottom face. The cover may include insertion holes into which the bosses may be inserted. A lower portion of the main body may be coupled with a lower portion of the cover. Magnets may be installed in upper portions of the main body and the cover, respectively, such that the main body and the cover may be coupled with each other by a magnetic force.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to KoreanApplication No. 10-2016-0070253 filed on Jun. 7, 2016, whose entiredisclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

A filter case and an installation structure for a filter case aredisclosed herein.

2. Background

Beyond storing food, refrigerators may purify water and supply coldwater and ice from purified water. A refrigerator may be provided with awater filter, a water tank that stores purified water, an ice maker thatfreezes stored water to make ice, and a water intake to supply purifiedwater, cold water, and ice. Refrigerators are available in a variety ofdifferent models that are capable of such functions.

In order to accomplish such functions, a line that conveys water may beinstalled in the refrigerator. In addition, a water intake connected toa line that supplies water into the refrigerator may be installed at alower rear of the refrigerator. A water filter may be installed in or ata location of the refrigerator in which it may be convenient to exchangethe water filter.

As a variety of kitchen appliances may be installed as built-inappliances, built-in refrigerators that are installed in furniture areincreasing. However, when refrigerators are installed as built-infurniture, it may be troublesome to pull these refrigerators forward formaintenance, and it may not be possible to pull these refrigeratorsforward without disassembling the furniture.

Components associated with such functions as purifying water, coolingdown water, and freezing water described above may typically be locatedin an upper or rear space of the refrigerator. For maintenance of suchcomponents, it may be necessary to pull the refrigerator forward to getto the upper space or the rear space of the refrigerator. Accordingly, arefrigerator having the above-described additional functions may bedifficult to use as a built-in home appliance.

For example, in order to maintain a water filter, which may have to bereplaced every several months, a user may have to get to the waterfilter installed in an upper part of the refrigerator to replace thewater filter. For a built-in refrigerator, it may be very difficult toreplace a filter. If a filter is installed in a location that is easilyaccessible, there may be a problem in that the filter may occupy aportion of storage space inside the refrigerator.

In addition, for water lines installed in the refrigerator that supplyor convey water, it may be necessary to disinfect, sterilize, or replacethe water lines if contamination occurs and germs multiply. Most ofthese operations require getting access to a rear of the refrigerator.For a built-in refrigerator, such operations may be cumbersome.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thefollowing drawings in which like reference numerals refer to likeelements wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a water filter case according tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an inside of the water filter case shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner side of a main body of thewater filter case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the main body coupledwith a lower portion of a cover of the water filter case shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an upper portion of the main bodycoupled with an upper portion of the cover of the water filter caseshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the coupled upper portions shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main body of the water filter caseshown in FIG. 1 with no water filter;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main body of the water filter caseshown in FIG. 1 with water filters;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of installing one of the water filtersshown in FIG. 8 in the main body of the water filter case;

FIG. 10 is a view of a kitchen in which the water filter case shown inFIG. 1 may be installed; and

FIG. 11 is a piping system diagram showing a structure that purifies andsupplies water in which a sterilizing kit may be installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a filter case 10 may be a substantially rectangularbox shape having a larger width and height and a smaller depth. Thefilter case 10 may include a main body 20 and a cover 30. The main body20 may have a space to accommodate filters and an open front side. Thecover 30 may cover the open front side of the main body 20.

Referring to FIG. 3, the main body 20 may include a rear face or rearsurface 21, a bottom face or bottom surface 22 that extends forward froma lower end of the rear face 21, a first top face or first top surface23 that extends forward from an upper end of the rear face 21, and apair of first side surfaces 26 that extend forward from both side endsof the rear face 21, respectively. The upper and lower ends of each ofthe first side surfaces 26 may be connected to the first top face 23 andthe bottom face 22. The bottom face 22 may extend forward more than thefirst top face 23 and the first side surfaces 26 extend. The bottom face22, the first top face 23, and the pair of first side faces 26 may haveribs at various positions and in a variety of shapes for reinforcement.

In an upper portion of the rear face 21 of the main body 20, hangingholes 211 having a narrow upper hole and a wider lower hole may beformed. In the rear face 21 and the bottom face 22 of the main body, twoor more screw holes 213 and 221, respectively, may be formed at aregular distance such that they are distributed evenly throughout anoverall area. The hanging holes 211 may be used to hang the filter case10 on nails or the like fastened to walls 53 and 54. By inserting a headof a screw nail fastened to a wall into the lower wider hole of each ofthe hanging holes 211, and allowing a body of the screw nail to befitted in the narrower upper hole of each of the hanging holes 211, thefilter case 10 may be fastened to the wall.

The screw holes 213 of the rear face 21 may fix the main body 20 to thewall by using, for example, screw nails. It may not be necessary toinsert screw nails into all of the screw holes 213. An appropriatenumber of screw nails with sufficient fixing force may be threaded intothe screw holes 213. The screw holes 221 of the bottom face 22 may fixthe filter case 10 to a floor 55 while the filter case 10 is standing asshown in FIG. 3. These screw holes 213 and 221 may be appropriatelyselected and used depending on an installation position of the filtercase 10. The hanging holes 211 and the screw holes 213 and 221 may beused together.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cover 30 may include a front face 31, anoverlapping portion 32 that extends backward from a lower end of thefront face 31, a second top face or second top surface 33 that extendsbackward from an upper end of the front face 31, and a pair of secondside surfaces 36 that extend backward from both side ends of the frontface 31, respectively. The upper and lower ends of each of the secondside surfaces 36 may be connected to the second top face 33 and theoverlapping portion 32. The main body 20 may occupy a majority of anoverall depth of the case, for example, a length in a front-reardirection, and the cover 30 may occupy a relatively small portion of theoverall depth.

Referring to FIG. 4, the overlapping portion 32 that defines a lowerportion of the cover 30 may be placed on a front upper portion of thebottom face 22 of the main body 20. The overlapping portion 32 of thecover may be placed on an upper surface of the bottom face 22 extendedforward more than the first side surfaces 26 extend. In addition, rearends of the second upper surface 33 and second side surfaces 36 of thecover 30 may meet front ends of the first upper surface 23 and the firstside surfaces 26 such that the cover 30 may be coupled with the mainbody 20 as shown in FIG. 1.

This way of coupling is not necessarily limited to that illustrated. Forexample, a ratio of depths between the first top face 23 and the secondtop face 33 or a ratio of depths between the first side surfaces 26 andthe second side surfaces 36 with respect to an overall depth of thefilter case 10 may vary generally or partially. All of the ends may notbe necessarily in a same plane to form an even surface.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, bosses 222 may be provided on the bottomface 22 of the main body 20, which may be overlapped with theoverlapping portion 32 of the cover 30. Each of the bosses 222 may havea lower portion with a side surface perpendicular to a plane of thebottom face 22, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and an upperportion in a conical shape. A height of the cylindrical portion may besubstantially equal to a thickness of the overlapping portion 32 of thecover 30. In the overlapping portion 32 of the cover 30, an insertionhole 322 having a size equal to or slightly larger than a diameter of alower portion of each of the bosses 222 may be formed. A conical upperportion of the boss 222 may be thin, and thus, may be easily insertedinto the insertion hole 322. Once the upper portion of the boss 222 isinserted into the insertion hole 322, an inclined surface of the conicalshape of the boss 222 may help the rest of the boss 222 to be insertedsmoothly.

Further, the two bosses 222 may be provided at positions aligned witheach other when viewed from a left-right direction or first direction ofthe bottom face 22, for example, at a same depth position when viewedfrom the front-rear direction or second direction. According to thisstructure, the lower portion of the cover 30 may be restrained to thelower portion of the main body 20 at two positions in the front-rear andleft-right directions, so that the lower portion of the cover 30 may beaccurately fastened. Further, the bosses 222 may be located at a samedepth from left and right ends, a rotation of bringing the upper portionof the cover 30 toward the upper portion of the main body 20 or arotation in an opposite direction with the bosses 222 inserted into theinsertion holes 322 may become more natural. Since the upper portion ofthe boss 222 has the conical shape, no interference may occur betweenthe boss 222 and the insertion hole 322 while rotating using a lower endof the cover 30 as a rotation axis, such that the rotation may beconducted naturally or smoothly.

A shape or a number of the bosses 222 are not particularly limited tothose described above as long as the bosses 222 may fulfill theabove-described functionality. For example, boss 222 having a long ovalor track-like cross section in the left-right direction may be formed onthe bottom face 22 of main body 20, and insertion hole 322 that extendsin the left-right direction to conform to a protruding portion may beformed in overlapping portion 32 of cover 30, such that a same functionmay be exhibited even if the boss 222 has an upper portion with atapered surface, such as, a conical shape.

The first upper face 23 of the main body 20 and the second upper face 33of the cover 30 may be provided with a first coupler 24 and a secondcoupler 34, respectively, at predetermined positions facing each other,for example, at the center thereof. The first coupler 24 may have amagnet accommodating section 241 in which a first magnet 242 may beaccommodated. The second coupler 24 may have a magnet accommodatingsection 341 in which a second magnet 342 may be accommodated. A frontside of the accommodating section 241 of the first coupler 24 and a rearside of the accommodating section 341 of the second coupler 34 may beopened to face each other. The first magnet 242 may meet or contact thesecond magnet 342 via opened sides, such that the first upper face 23 ofthe main body 20 and the second upper face 33 of the cover 30 may befixed to each other firmly.

Although two magnets may be provided in the two couplers, respectively,a magnet may be provided at one side while a ferromagnetic material suchas iron to be coupled with the magnet may be provided at another side. Afixing force that couples the upper faces 22 and 33 may be obtained byusing a magnetic force when the upper faces 22 and 33 are in contact andis released when the upper faces 22 and 33 are apart or distant.

A variety of coupling mechanisms or parts may be applied as long as thecover 30 is coupled with the main body 20 by rotating or pressing theupper portion of the cover 30 with respect to the lower portion of thecover 30, and the cover 30 is separated from the main body 20 by pullingthe upper portion of the cover 30 in the opposite direction orre-pressing the upper portion of the cover 30. Such mechanisms mayinclude a Velcro® tape and a pop-up type coupling structure, which maybe locked if pressed once and pops up if pressed one more time.

Referring to FIG. 6, ribs 25 may project forward from both sides of thefirst coupler 24, and the second coupler 34 may be interposed betweenthe ribs 25 with a small gap therebetween. The side surfaces of the ribs25 may be tapered, for example, inclined so as to guide the secondcoupler 34 between the ribs 25.

As compared with the coupling force of the magnet 242 and 342 acting inthe direction parallel to the magnetic force (that is, in the front-reardirection or second direction), the coupling force of the magnet 242 and342 acting in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic force (thatis, the left-right direction or first direction) may be somewhatinsufficient. For this reason, a pair of ribs 25 may be provided at bothside ends of the first coupler 24, and the second fastening part 25 maybe interposed therebetween to prevent the upper portion of the cover 30from moving in the left-right direction. In this manner, by forming theribs 25, which may surround both sides of only one of first coupler 24and the second coupler 34, movement between the two couplers 24 and 34in the left-right direction may be prevented.

A handle 331 may be formed on the second coupler 34 of the cover 30 suchthat it may protrude therefrom. The handle 331 may be held when theupper portion of the cover 30 is pulled to separate the cover 30 fromthe main body 20. Accordingly, a user may decouple the second magnet 342from the first magnet 242 by pulling the upper portion of the cover 30by holding the handle 331 and pressing the handle 331, and the cover 30may be separated by pulling the insertion holes 322 out of the bosses222 while lifting the cover 30.

According to the above-described filter case structure, it may bepossible to couple the cover 30 with the main body 20 of the filter case10 at various positions and in various ways. In addition, it may bepossible to simply couple and decouple the cover 30 to and from the mainbody 20 while obtaining coupling force sufficient for the filter case10.

Filters 46 may be installed in the main body 20 of the filter case 10.The filters 46 may be connected to an internal pipe 40 provided in thefilter case 10. The internal pipe 40 may extend in the left-rightdirection or first direction. The internal pipe 40 may include aplurality of filter connectors 45 that connect the filters 46 with theinternal pipe 40. Each of the filters 46 may be connected to respectivefilter connectors 45.

At both ends of the internal pipe 40, a water inlet 41 and a wateroutlet 43 may be provided, respectively. The water inlet 41 and thewater outlet 43 may protrude above the main body 20. The pipingconnectors 42 and 44 may be provided at an end of the water inlet 41 andan end of the water outlet 43, respectively. Each of the pipingconnectors 42 and 44 may be connected to a piping line by inserting thepiping line into it to a predetermined length.

Referring to FIG. 9, the filter connectors 45 may be rotatably installedto the internal pipe 40. Connection ports of the filter connectors 45may be rotatable at least between a bottom-facing position and afront-facing position. If the filter connectors 45 are positioned facinga front or first direction, the filters 46 may be easily connected anddisconnected. The filter 46 may be connected to the filter connector 45while the filter connector 45 faces front, and then the filter 46 may bepushed down. Accordingly, the filter connector 45 connected to thefilter 46 may be rotated downward together. The filter 46 connected tothe filter connector 45 may be disconnected by holding the filter 46 torotate it forward so that the filter connector 45 may also rotateforward, and then separate the filter 46 from the filter connector 45.

The filter connectors 45 connect the internal pipe 40 with the filters46 so that water flowing in the internal pipe 40 may pass through thefilters 46 to return to the internal pipe 40. When the filter 46 isseparated from the filter connector 45, a bypass line provided on thefilter connect 45 may be automatically connected to the internal pipe40. Therefore, even after the filter 46 is separated from the filterconnector 45, the bypass line of the filter connector 45 may beconnected to the internal pipe 40 so that water flowing in the internalpipe 40 may bypass the filter 46 to flow into the bypass line. Inrelated art, a filter connector may not have a bypass line therein, andthus, an additional bypass line may be installed instead of a filter, toallow water to flow into a bypass line when the filter is separated.

The internal pipe 40 may be fixed to the rear face 21 of the main body20. Pipelines may be connected to both ends of the internal pipe 40 atthe water inlet 41 and the water outlet 43, respectively. The pipelinesmay penetrate the first upper face 23 to be exposed beyond the firstupper face 23. That is, the water inlet 41 and the water outlet 43 maybe supported by the first upper face 23. A line connector that connectsto another line may be provided in advance at an upper end of each ofthe pipelines, so that installation may be more convenient.

On the internal pipe 40, three filter connectors 45, which may berotatable with respect to the pipeline, may be sequentially provided. Afirst pre-carbon filter, a second ultra filtration (UF) filter, and athird post-carbon filter may be installed. The pre-carbon filter mayremove heavy metals and suspended substances contained in the water andmay remove residual chlorine. The UF filter may remove ordinary germsand may remove particulate matter of 0.5 micrometers or more. Thepost-carbon filter may remove substances that affect taste and odor ofwater. These filters may be replaced approximately every three months.

As described above, the pipeline having the filter connectors portion 45may be installed in the filter case 10, and the water inlet 41 and wateroutlet 43 are may be exposed to an outside of the filter case 10, suchthat it may be possible to form the filter case 10 as a module and itmay be easy to install and maintain the filter case 10.

Referring to FIG. 10, an installation structure that purifies andsupplies water for a refrigerator that includes the external filter case10 may be installed in a kitchen where a sink 50 having a faucet 61 anda built-in refrigerator 80 are installed. The filter case 10 may beinstalled in a cabinet 52 under the sink 50. The rear face 21 and thebottom face 22 of the main body 20 of the filter case 10 may be fixed toa rear wall 53 and a bottom 55 of the cabinet 52. However, the rear face21 and the bottom face 22 may be fixed to a side wall 54 and the bottom55 of the cabinet 52. The filter case 10 may be fixed to the rear wall53 or the side wall 54 by hanging the filter case 10 thereon.

The faucet 61 may be connected to the piping connector 42 at the end ofthe water inlet 41 exposed above the filter case 10 via afaucet-connecting line 62. The piping connector 44 at the end of thewater outlet 43 exposed above the filter case 10 may be connected to aline connector 811 at an end of a water intake 81 provided at a lowerfront of the refrigerator 80 via an egress line 67.

Raw water supplied from the faucet 61 may be purified through thefilters 46 of the filter case 10 and then supplied to the refrigerator80. Purified water supplied to the refrigerator 80 may be directlysupplied to a user by a water dispenser 86, may be stored in a watertank 83 as cold water and then flow to the water dispenser 86 to bedispensed, or may pass through the water tank 83 to be cooled down andthen be supplied to a ice maker 89 to be stored in an ice bucket as ice.Flow and direction of the water may be controlled by valves 82 and 84.The valves 82 and 84 may be controlled by a PCB installed in therefrigerator by receiving feedback signals indicating, for example,whether the water tank is full, whether the ice bucket is full, thetemperature in the water tank, the temperature in the ice maker, thetemperature of the ice, etc. The pipelines, the water tank, the icemaker and other components of the refrigerator 80 subsequent to thewater intake 81 may be installed inside the refrigerator 80 in aproduction line, and thus they have much less possibility of leakage ordefects than lines installed in the field.

As described above, by installing the filter case 10 in the storagespace under the sink separated from a built-in refrigerator in akitchen, it may be possible to save space in the refrigerator occupiedby filters. When different water filters specialized for differentfunctions are used, the space occupied by filters may become larger. Byinstalling such water filters externally, more space for storing foodmay be provided in the refrigerator. In addition, by installing filtersexternally, it may be possible to locate them at a desired position.Accordingly, filters may be provided close to the faucet for easypiping, or filters may be installed in a larger space for easyreplacement and maintenance. The filter case 10 may be installed at ahidden place so that it is not visible. For example, by installing thefilter case 10 in the storage space under the sink, it may become easierto connect the faucet with water filters, and it may become moreconvenient to replace consumables such as a filter. In addition, whenproblems such as a leak occurs and lines are installed outside therefrigerator, it may be easier to cope or fix these problems withoutmoving or disassembling the refrigerator.

The water intake 81 and the line connector 811 of the refrigerator maybe provided at a lower front of the refrigerator 80. Accordingly, theegress line 67 may be connected to the line connector 811 at a front ofthe refrigerator without moving the refrigerator 80 out of place.Therefore, an installation structure may be easily applied to a built-inrefrigerator.

That is, filters that usually occupy space in the refrigerator may beinstalled externally, for example, in a space under the sink, whilecomponents that require electric control, such as, e.g., a control PCBor valves, may be placed in the refrigerator. Therefore, it may be easyto install and replace lines and filters, and problems, such as leakageof line related to filters, may be easily dealt with without moving ordisassembling the refrigerator.

An intermediate valve 63 may be provided at the downstream end of thefaucet-connecting line 62, and the intermediate valve 63 may beconnected to the pipe connector 42 of the filter case 10 via anintermediate line 64. A length of this intermediate line 64 may rangefrom 10 to 20 cm so that the intermediate valve 63 may be provided nearthe case 10. Since the filter case 10 may be installed at a positionthat occupies as small space as possible while allowing for relativelyeasy access in the space, a user may easily reach the intermediate valuehaving a short length. By installing such intermediate valve 64, it maybe possible to control a supply of raw water by using the intermediatevalve 63 instead of a valve of the faucet 61, which may be relativelydifficult to reach.

The installation structure of the intermediate valve 63 and theintermediate line 64 may be convenient in replacing filters. Forexample, if a typical filter connector is used, it may be necessary toshut off the supply of the raw water when a filter is separated from thefilter connector. This may be done by simply closing the intermediatevalve 63. Without the intermediate valve 63, it may be troublesome toshut off the water by trying to get to a valve of the faucet.

Referring to FIG. 11, the intermediate valve 63 and the intermediateline 64 may also provide convenience when a sterilizing kit 90 forsterilization is connected. The sterilization kit 90 may dischargechlorine water, thereby sterilizing lines or pipelines provideddownstream of the sterilization kit 90. The sterilizing kit 90 may beinstalled upstream of the filter case 10 so that all of the linessubsequent to the water filters may be sterilized.

Without the intermediate valve 63 and the intermediate line 64, a usermay have to close the valve of the faucet 61 to shut off the supply ofthe raw water, to separate the faucet-connecting line 62 from the waterinlet 41 of the filter case 10, and to install the sterilizing kit 90between an end of the faucet-connecting line 62 and the water inlet 41of the filter case 10 so that the water flows through the sterilizationkit 90. In addition, the water remaining in the faucet-connecting line62 after the valve is closed may pour through a downstream end of thefaucet-connecting line 62, which may cause trouble.

With the intermediate valve 63 and the intermediate line 64, incontrast, a user may close the intermediate valve 63 to separate theintermediate valve 63 from the intermediate line 64 (as indicated by adashed line in FIG. 11), and provide the sterilizing kit 90 therebetweenso that water flows through it (as indicated by a dash-dotted line inFIG. 11). By doing so, it may be possible to prevent the water remainingin the line from pouring out of the line, such that sterilizing maybecome convenient.

A method of sterilizing using the sterilizing kit 90 may be carried outas follows. Initially, a supply of water to the filter case 10 may beshut off. This may be done by simply locking the intermediate valve 63.Subsequently, the intermediate valve 63 may be separated from theintermediate line 64, and the sterilizing kit 90 may be installedtherebetween. A flexible line may be used for the lines. Since theintermediate valve 63 is installed at a downstream end of a relativelylong faucet-connecting line 62, a position of the intermediate valve 63may be adjusted as desired. This equally applies to the intermediateline 64. Therefore, when the intermediate valve 63 is separated from theintermediate line 64, it may be convenient to install the sterilizationkit therebetween.

Subsequently, the filters may be separated from the filter connectors,and the internal pipe may be connected to the bypass line. When thefilter is separated from the filter connector, a bypass line in thefilter connector may automatically connect between disconnected parts ofthe internal pipe, and thus a process of installing an additional bypassline may be omitted. In contrast, when a typical filter connector isemployed, it may be necessary to install an additional bypass line tothe filter connector after separating the filter from the internal pipein the filter case. Subsequently, the water is allowed to flow again sothat the chlorine-containing water passes through the internal pipe andthe egress line, and then may be taken into the lines in therefrigerator 80.

After the sterilization is completed, the intermediate valve 63 may beclosed again to shut off the flow of water, and the sterilization kit 90may be removed. Then, the intermediate valve 63 may be connected to theintermediate line 64, and water may be supplied again such thatchlorine-containing water may be discharged. Subsequently, the supply ofthe water may be shut off again, the bypass line of the internal pipemay be removed from the filter connector, and the filter may beinstalled again. The process of removing the bypass line may be omittedif the filter connector 45, in which the bypass line is automaticallyseparated when the filter 46 is employed, is provided. Finally, theintermediate valve 63 may be opened again to allow water purified in thefilter 46 to be supplied to the refrigerator. According to this method,sterilization may be conducted very conveniently.

In addition to the above-described way of separating the intermediatevalve 63 and the intermediate line 64 in the method of sterilizing, theintermediate line 64 may be separated from the water inlet 41 of thecase and the sterilizing kit 90 may be interposed therebetween.Additionally, the sterilizing kit 90 may be provided between the pipingconnector 44 at the water outlet 43 of the case and the egress line 67.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a filter case for a built-inrefrigerator that allows easy replacement and maintenance of a filter topurify raw water, or water that is not purified, supplied to therefrigerator. Embodiments disclosed herein also provide a filter casethat is located outside a refrigerator to allow easy replacement andmaintenance of a filter.

Embodiments disclosed herein further provide a filter case that may beeasily installed, that may be installed at a variety of locations andenvironments without difficulty, and that may easily open and close sothat even a filter installed at an inner side thereof may be easilyreached. Embodiments disclosed herein further provide an opening/closingmechanism for a filter case that allows a cover to be simplyopened/closed and reliably coupled with the case. Embodiments disclosedherein also provide a filter case structure that allows a filter to bereplaced very simply, and allows disinfection or sterilization to becarried out easily by connecting a bypass line when a filter isseparated with no additional operation.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an installation structure in whichthe filter case is installed in a kitchen where a built-in refrigeratoris installed, so as to supply purified water to the refrigerator.Embodiments disclosed herein further provide a structure that purifiesand supplies water that is easy to install by having an external filtercase. Embodiments disclosed herein also provide a structure thatpurifies and supplies water that is easy to maintain and is convenientto disinfect and sterilize a line provided downstream of a filter.Embodiments disclosed herein provide a method to disinfect a lineprovided downstream of the filter more simply in the structure includingthe filter case.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, an external water filter casemay be installed in a space separate from a refrigerator. The waterfilter case may include a main body providing an inner space in which aninternal pipe is installed and water filters are installed, and a coverthat covers the inner space of the main body and is detachably coupledwith the main body. The main body may have a box shape with an openfront side. In order to allow a lower portion of the main body to beeasily coupled with a lower portion of the cover by placing anoverlapping portion that is a bottom face of the cover on a bottom faceof the main body, bosses may be formed on the bottom face of the mainbody and insertion holes may be formed in the overlapping portion of thecover so that the bosses may be inserted into the insertion holes. Inaddition, couplers may be formed in upper portions of the main body andthe cover, respectively, such that the upper portion of the main bodymay be coupled with the upper portion of the cover by bringing the coverclose to the main body and the upper portion of the main body may beeasily separated from the upper portion of the cover by pulling thecover away from the main body. Such structures may provide an externalfilter case in which the cover can be easily detached from the main bodywhile the cover may be reliably coupled with the main body.

For example, the main body may include a rear face forming the rearsurface of the case, a bottom face that extends forward from the lowerend of the rear face, a first top face that extends forward from theupper end of the rear face, bosses protruding upward from the bottomface, and a first coupler formed in the first top face.

The cover may include a front face forming the front surface of thecase, an overlapping portion that extends backward from the lower end ofthe front face, a second top face that extends backward from the upperend of the front face, insertion holes formed in the overlap portion,the bosses being inserted into the insertion holes, and a second couplerformed in the second top face and to be coupled with the first coupler.

The overlapping portion may be placed on the bottom face such that thebosses are inserted into the insertion hole, while the second top faceof the cover approaches the first top face of the main body so that thefirst coupler is coupled with the second coupler. Accordingly, the covermay be fixed to the main body.

By forming the bosses at two different locations spaced apart from eachother, it may be possible to restrict the cover from rotating withrespect to a rotation axis perpendicular to the bottom face of the mainbody. When the bosses are accurately aligned in a left-right or firstdirection, the rotation of bringing the upper portion of the covertoward the upper portion of the main body or the rotation in theopposite direction with the bosses inserted into the insertion holes maybecome more natural or smooth.

Each of the bosses may have a conical upper portion, such that it may beeasier to insert the bosses into the insertion holes. After the bossesare inserted into the insertion holes, a center of the insertion holemay be guided by an inclined surface of the conical shape of the boss,such that the center of the insertion hole may be in line with a centerof the conical shape of the boss. Accordingly, the cover may be matchedwith the main body even without any additional fitting operation. Theinclined surface of the conical shape may facilitate the rotation of theupper portion of the cover toward or away from the upper portion of themain body, with the lower portion of the cover supported.

The first and second couplers may include a pair of magnets facing eachother or a magnet and a material attracted by the magnet. Accordingly,the upper portion of the main body may be coupled with or separated fromthe upper portion of the cover by bringing the first and second couplersclose to each other or separating them from each other.

An anti-rocking mechanism may be provided in each of the first top faceand the second top face, which may restrict the second top face frommoving left or right relative to the first top face. By doing so, it maybe possible to reinforce a coupling force of the cover in the left-rightdirection that may be weaker than the front-rear direction in which themagnetic force acts.

The anti-rocking mechanism may have a pair of protruding ribs on bothsides of the first coupler or the second coupler, such that the secondcoupler or the first coupler may be accommodated between the pair of theprotruding ribs. According to this mechanism, the protruding ribs and acounterpart thereof may be additionally provided in the accommodatingsection of the main body and the accommodating section of the cover,respectively, in which the magnet and/or the material attracted by themagnet are installed, such that the mechanism may be simple and easy tomanufacture.

The filter case may further include an internal pipe having a waterinlet and a water outlet and may be provided in a space defined by themain body and the cover and a filter connector provided in a path of theinternal pipe. The filter connector may be rotatable between a positionat which a filter insertion direction of the filter connector faces afront of the case and a position at which the filter insertion directionof the filter connector faces a bottom of the case, such that a size ofthe case may be more compact, and replacement of the filter may be mucheasier.

The filter connector may include a bypass line, such that water in theinternal pipe may pass through a filter when the filter is connected tothe filter connector, while the bypass line may be automaticallyconnected to the internal pipe when the filter is separated from thefilter connector to allow the water in the internal pipe to flow throughthe bypass line. Accordingly, it may not be necessary to lock the linewhen a filter is replaced, and no process of installing a bypass linemay be required after the filter is separated to sterilize it.

Each of the rear face and bottom face of the case may include screwholes at two or more different locations. By using them, the rear faceof the case may be fixed to a wall or the bottom face of the case may befixed to a floor. A hanging hole may be formed in the rear face of themain body. The hanging hole may include a lower larger hole and an uppersmaller hole connected to the lower hole. Accordingly, the case may befixed to the wall above the floor.

According to another embodiment disclosed herein, an installationstructure, which may be located between a sink with a faucet and abuilt-in refrigerator installed adjacent to the sink to purify watersupplied from the faucet to supply it to the built-in refrigerator, mayinclude a water filter case installed in a cabinet under the sink withthe faucet; a faucet-connecting line having one end connected to thefaucet and an opposed end connected to a water inlet of the filter case;an egress line having one end connected to a water outlet of the filtercase and an opposed end connected to a water intake provided at a lowerfront of the refrigerator, and a filter connected to a filter connectorof an internal pipe provided in the filter case. By installing thefilter case in the cabinet under the sink, it may be easier to installlines between the faucet and the filter case and between the filter caseand the water intake provided at the lower front of the refrigerator. Asthe water intake is provided at the lower front of the refrigerator, itmay not be necessary to pull the refrigerator out in order to connect aline to the refrigerator.

An intermediate valve and an intermediate line may be sequentiallyprovided along a direction in which water flows and may be providedbetween the opposed end of the faucet-connecting line and the waterinlet of the filter case. According to this installation structure, itmay be possible to control the supply of water by simply opening/closingthe intermediate valve adjacent to the filter case which may berelatively easy to reach, instead of opening/closing the valve of thefaucet which may be difficult to reach. The intermediate line may beseparated and a sterilizing kit may be connected in a bypass lineinstead of the intermediate line, such that it may be easy to sterilizelines subsequent to the filter.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, a method of sterilizinglines, in an installation structure where a sink with a faucet, abuilt-in refrigerator instance adjacent to the sink, and a water filtercase installed in a cabinet under the sink with the faucet and having awater inlet connected to the faucet via a faucet-connecting line and anwater outlet connected to the refrigerator via an egress line, mayinclude shutting off supply of water to the filter case, disposing asterilizing kit between a downstream end of the faucet-connecting lineand a water inlet of the filter case while the supply of water is shutoff, separating a filter installed in the filter case from the pipe toconnect the separated pieces of the pipe with a bypass line, supplyingthe water while the sterilizing kit is provided and the bypass line isconnected, shutting off the water after sterilizing; separating thesterilizing kit while the water is shut off to connect the downstreamend of the faucet-connecting line with the water inlet of the filtercase, releasing the bypass line to install a filter, and supplying thewater to resume purification and supply of the water.

The supplying water to the filter or shutting off the water may becontrolled by adjusting an intermediate valve installed at thedownstream end of the faucet-connecting line. By utilizing theinstallation structure and the method of sterilizing lines, it may bepossible to sterilize all sections of water flow lines in a veryconvenient way.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, a refrigerator, which has avalve for controlling whether to flow water supplied into therefrigerator and controlling a direction of the flow, may include afilter case installed outside the refrigerator and comprising a waterfilter for purifying water before the water flows into the refrigerator,a faucet-connecting line installed outside the refrigerator and havingone end connected to a faucet and an opposed end connected to a waterinlet of the filter case, and an egress line installed outside therefrigerator and having one end connected to a water outlet of thefilter case and an opposed end connected to a water intake of therefrigerator.

According to this refrigerator structure, sensors or valves that requireelectrical control may be provided inside the refrigerator, whereaslines for supplying water to the refrigerator, filters for purifyingwater and the case including the filters may be installed outside therefrigerator. Accordingly, the refrigerator may have more space forstoring food, and may be maintained more conveniently without moving,dissembling or installing the refrigerator by providing filters andlines outside the refrigerator.

The filter case may be installed in a space under the sink, such thatthe case and the lines are not visible to thereby provide betterappearance. It may be easy to connect the lines to the faucet, and theremay be provided a wider space for installing lines, replacing filtersand maintenance. The water intake may be provided at the lower front ofthe refrigerator, such that it may be possible to install the filtercase and the lines after the refrigerator has been installed, withoutmoving or dissembling the refrigerator.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of such phrases in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within thepurview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing purified water, the systemcomprising: a refrigerator; a valve that controls a flow of water intothe refrigerator and a direction of the flow of water; a water intake inwhich water flows into the refrigerator; a filter case provided outsidethe refrigerator and including: a water inlet; a water outlet; and atleast one water filter that purifies water; a faucet-connecting linehaving one end connected to a water faucet provided outside therefrigerator and another end connected to the water inlet of the filtercase; and an egress line having one end connected to the water outlet ofthe filter case and another end connected to the water intake of therefrigerator.
 2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the filter case isprovided under a sink.
 3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the waterintake of the refrigerator is provided at a lower front of therefrigerator.
 4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the filter caseincludes: a main body including: a rear face that forms a rear surfaceof the filter case, a bottom face that extends forward from a lower endof the rear face, a first top face that extends forward from an upperend of the rear face, a plurality of bosses that protrudes upward fromthe bottom face, and a first coupler provided in the first top face; anda cover including: a front face that forms a front surface of the filtercase, an overlapping portion that extends backward from a lower end ofthe front face, a second top face that extends backward from an upperend of the front face, a plurality of insertion holes formed in theoverlapping portion, the plurality of bosses being inserted into theplurality of insertion holes, respectively, and a second couplerprovided in the second top face, the second coupling part coupled withthe first coupler, wherein the cover is fixed to the main body when theplurality of bosses are inserted into the plurality of insertion holessuch that the overlapping portion is placed on the bottom face and thesecond top face of the cover meets the first top face of the main bodyto couple the first coupler with the second coupler.
 5. The refrigeratorof claim 4, wherein the plurality of bosses are aligned with one anotherin a width direction of the bottom face of the main body and areprovided at two or more positions, respectively, or are elongated in thewidth direction, and wherein an upper portion of each of the pluralityof bosses has a conical shape.
 6. The refrigerator of claim 4, whereinthe first coupler includes a first magnet and the second couplerincludes a second magnet that faces the first magnet, and wherein a pairof ribs protrude to surround sides of the first coupler or the secondcoupler such that the second coupler or the first coupler isaccommodated between the pair of the ribs and the second top face isrestricted from moving relative to the first top face.
 7. Therefrigerator of claim 4, wherein each of the rear face and the bottomface of the main body includes screw holes at two or more differentlocations, and wherein at least one hanging hole is formed in the rearface of the main body, the at least one hanging hole having a lowerlarger hole and an upper smaller hole connected to the lower largerhole.
 8. An installation structure that purifies and supplies water froma faucet of a sink to a refrigerator provided adjacent to the sink, theinstallation structure comprising: a water filter case installed in acabinet under the sink; a faucet-connecting line having one endconnected to the faucet and another end connected to a water inlet ofthe water filter case; an egress line having one end connected to awater outlet of the water filter case and another end connected to awater intake provided at a lower front of the refrigerator; and at leastone filter connected to at least one filter connector on an internalpipe provided in the water filter case.
 9. The installation structure ofclaim 8, wherein an intermediate valve and an intermediate line aresequentially provided between the other end of the faucet-connectingline and the water inlet of the water filter case along a direction inwhich water flows.
 10. The installation structure of claim 9, wherein asterilizing kit is detachably provided between the intermediate valveand the intermediate line.
 11. An external water filter case outside ofa refrigerator, the water filter case comprising: a main body having aninner space that accommodates at least one filter; and a cover thatcovers the inner space of the main body and that detachably couples tothe main body, wherein the main body includes: a rear face that forms arear surface of the water filter case; a bottom face that extendsforward from a lower end of the rear face; a first top face that extendsforward from an upper end of the rear face; a plurality of bossesprotruding upward from the bottom face; and a first coupler provided inthe first top face, wherein the cover includes: a front face that formsa front surface of the water filter case; an overlapping portion thatextends backward from a lower end of the front face; a second top facethat extends backward from an upper end of the front face, a pluralityof insertion holes formed in the overlapping portion, the plurality ofbosses being inserted into the plurality of insertion holes,respectively; and a second coupler provided in the second top face, thesecond coupler being coupled with the first coupler, and wherein thecover is fixed to the main body when the plurality of bosses areinserted into the plurality of insertion holes such that the overlappingportion is placed on the bottom face and the second top face of thecover meets the first top face of the main body to couple the firstcoupler with the second coupler.
 12. The water filter case of claim 11,wherein the plurality of bosses are aligned with one another in a widthdirection along the bottom face of the main body and are provided at twoor more positions, respectively, or are elongated in the widthdirection.
 13. The water filter case of claim 11, wherein an upperportion of each of the plurality of bosses has a conical shape.
 14. Thewater filter case of claim 11, wherein the first coupler includes afirst magnet and the second coupler includes a magnetic material thatfaces the first magnet to attract the first magnet.
 15. The water filtercase of claim 14, wherein a pair of protruding ribs are provided on thefirst coupler or the second coupler so as to restrict the second topface from moving relative to the first top face.
 16. The water filtercase of claim 15, wherein the pair of protruding ribs are provided onboth sides of the first coupler or the second coupler such that thesecond coupler or the first coupler is accommodated between the pair ofprotruding ribs.
 17. The water filter case of claim 11, furthercomprising: an internal pipe having a water inlet and a water outlet andprovided in a space defined by the main body and the cover; and at leastone filter connector provided in a path of the internal pipe.
 18. Thewater filter case of claim 17, wherein the at least one filter connectoris rotatable between a position at which a filter insertion direction ofthe at least one filter connector faces a front of the filter case and aposition at which the filter insertion direction faces a bottom of thefilter case.
 19. The water filter case of claim 17, wherein the at leastone filter connector includes a bypass line that is connected to theinternal pipe, wherein when the at least one filter is connected to theat least one filter connector, water in the internal pipe passes throughthe at least one filter, and wherein when the at least one filter isseparated from the at least one filter connector, the water in theinternal pipe flows through the bypass line.
 20. The water filter caseof claim 11, wherein each of the rear face and the bottom face of themain body includes screw holes at two or more different locations, andwherein a hanging hole is formed in the rear face of the main body, thehanging hole having a lower larger hole and an upper smaller holeconnected to the lower larger hole.